Second, there is a lot of concern over having proper nutrition in one's diet if exclusively surviving off of LDS dry pack food storage (winter wheat, white rice, rolled oats, etc.) Some suggest storing vitamins to consume on a daily basis. However, others I know have suggested sprouting the wheat, which requires that the wheat not have been nitrogen packed in the number 10 cans. These individuals mix a little diatomaceous earth (aka D.E. or Perma Guard) in with their wheat to keep the weevils out rather than nitrogen packing their number 10 cans. Do you think that sprouted wheat or other grains will add enough nutrition to one's diet in order to overcome issues related to living exclusively off of food storage?
Just some thoughts for the basic LDS prepper!
I will say what I do know. I mine everyone I know for their knowledge nuggets. I have a co-worker whose (Jewish) grandfather escaped the Nazis in WWII and fled the continent to Caracas, Venezuela. Now that same family is having to flee another tyrant in the form of their recent thug leader. They ended up here in Olympia, WA. While in Venezuela, the g-father who was a highly acclaimed nutritionist and doctor developed the perfect poverty diet which provides basic protein, carbs and nutrients required to sustain life. It was this - and I lived on it in Brazil as I ate with the common people at their dinner tables:
Beans (brown or black, for more iron)
Rice (white is sufficient, brown is better although it does not store well for more than 2-3 years)
Ham or other simple meat that can be salt-cured (no refrigeration required)
Basic Veggies such as carrots or okra which can add flavor and texture.
In Brazil, this is called feijao - or beans and rice. This co-worker's g-father attained some notoriety for his work and the governments of South America followed that advice in providing the basics for the peoples down there. All of the above can be stored well and prepared with minimal energy if you follow some basic concepts (I have two solar ovens which can be used in a Utah or Montana climate under the most dire circumstances and prepare these foods with ease).
My daughter and wife have experimented with sprouting wheat with some success. We have several of those sprouting trays as a means of last resort for getting fresh veggies. In lieu of those, we are going to experiment this winter with growing fresh veggies without power - greenhouse only and using passive solar collectors and water barrels and a greenhouse within our greenhouse. I may cheat and have a 750 watt heater hooked up to my thermo-cube in case the temp within the inner greenhouse does drop below freezing. We watched the temp last winter in the larger greenhouse and we could only maintain 5-10 degrees above ambient on the coldest nights. So if it hit 20 degrees for a prolonged period, we were basically dealing with frozen plants (we didn't have any planted last winter).
This is an experiment only to see what extreme conditions we can hang in. I will let you know how these experiments go by next Spring.
A couple of things about wheatgrass:
ReplyDelete1.) There is an account in the Bible about Nebadchanezzer going mad and then being healed by eating just grass.
2.) The chemical composition of wheatgrass juice is exactly the same as human blood, only the center molecule in wheatgrass is magnesium and in blood it's iron.
3.) The ancient Chinese symbol for wheat is of two people, facing each other at an alter with their arms raised.
4.) Best sources for info on growing/living/eating wheatgrass have their roots in Ann Wigmore. Steve Meyerowitz is one. The Creative Health Institute in Hodunk, MI is another.
5.) The Word of Wisdom never specifically said BREAD. It said WHEAT.
Katie,
ReplyDeleteThat is fascinating info! I hope we can implement this into our living. I will pass this on to my dear wife.